Contracts are negotiated between the company and the unions to determine the details of any compensation package.

Those contracts enjoy their quirks.

One of which is that flight attendants don't get paid until the doors close. The pay stops when the airplane arrives at the gate.

Some rail against it.

For example, a United Airlines flight attendant told me a delightful story of how, after they had finished a transatlantic flight and landed back in the U.S., they were dragged away for a "random" drug test at Newark. With the pilot.

Oh, yes. This does happen.

They merrily peed away, but the time it took meant they missed their United flight connection home, more than two hours away.

They had to find another airline to accommodate them. As that plane rolled away, someone in first class decided to be a nuisance.

They pay us per diem, which is less than $2 from sign in -- the time we get back to base. Our pay rate sounds really great until you average in all the hours we aren't getting paid. All that time on the ground, connecting, delays, NOT PAID.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants -- which represents United's staff -- told Chastain how difficult life can be:

We had to fight hard to turn this job into a career. The pay is traditionally based on pilot pay structure and we've fought hard to increase the $ for flight hours w/ pay protections. But it's not enough. Boarding is often the hardest part of our day!

I commend American Airlines for at least responding.

I can find no similar response from United or Delta. They rather like American being the major object of public scorn.

Never imagine, though, that your flight attendant is paid handsomely. Try and imagine that many of them have second jobs.